In
writing Book 19 we saw how patient the Lord was with the people of
Israel and Judah. The Lord God wanted His people to love and serve Him.

As we are traveled with the Lord’s prophets, we learned
that all-powerful God could see Jonah wherever he hid. In studying the
warnings of Amos, we saw that he reminded the people that their
disobedience would not go unpunished. The people had rejected the laws
of God. We heard about the strange orders the Lord had for His prophet
Hosea and the warning names the Lord gave for Hosea’s three children.

As we studied the kings we discovered how the good King Uzziah
became a leper. We followed the wicked King Ahaz as he nailed the doors
of the Lord’s Temple shut!

There were more warnings from
the Lord’s prophet Micah who saw the results of the sins in his small
village of Maresheth. Sadly, he saw that the children were not using
God’s laws. Micah was the prophet that predicted the exciting news
about the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ in Bethlehem!

The
Lord’s greatest prophet Isaiah reminded the people to look forward to
the time when the Lord Jesus would come to earth and the future time
when the Lord as their King would rule and create a new heavens and a
new earth. Isaiah’s messages assured the winner believers that God had
not forgotten His covenant promises for His people.

Again
and again the Lord sent His prophets to say, “Turn from your evil way
and keep my commandments.” The people did not want to hear these
messages.

In Book 19 we see that the Lord God finally did
remove His protection from the people of the northern kingdom and their
land. Many of the Jews were killed and King Hoshea was taken prisoner.
In 722 B.C. the Jewish people were led captive to Assyria. What a price
they paid for not following the Lord their God!

We leave
with the good King Hezekiah ruling in the southern kingdom of Judah. He
opened the doors of the Lord’s Temple! It was exciting to again see the
Lord’s Passover celebrated for Judah and the remaining Jews in Israel.

We
discovered many lessons from the lives of the Israelites. The divine
solutions to the problems of the Israelites and for us are so simple.
Love and obey the Lord God and His truths. Trust the Lord God and let
Him lead us and watch His deliverance. “The Battle is the Lord’s.”

Teachers: Your students may enjoy the Tabernacle skit at the end of the book. It was fun for us.